Every brand makes mistakes.
Sometimes they’re internal, like a rushed product decision or a poorly handled restructure. Other times they’re (painfully) public, like a social post that backfires, a leadership comment that sparks backlash, or a business pivot that alienates your core audience.
You’re going to make mistakes, but what you do next can make or break your business.
In today’s trust-fragile culture, where reputations are built and broken in real time, building trust becomes a brand strategy imperative. So how do you begin to repair trust without spinning, over-explaining, or losing the plot of what your brand stands for? Let’s break it down.
When Trust Breaks, it Breaks Loudly
Consider the now-infamous case of Duolingo’s “AI-first” pivot.
When the brand announced that AI tools would replace contract workers, performance reviews would be tied to AI fluency, and hiring would be frozen unless teams could prove AI couldn’t do the work, users, creators, and employees alike revolted.
In response, the company wiped millions of followers' worth of content from its TikTok and Instagram accounts, essentially deleting its community instead of addressing the issue.
The message? Intentional or not, it read as: “We’d rather start over than be accountable.”
It wasn’t the shift toward AI that destroyed trust. It was the way it was communicated, and the absence of human-centered leadership behind the decision.
And Duolingo’s not alone.
- Southwest Airlines saw massive backlash in 2022 when staffing failures led to thousands of canceled flights and stranded customers.
- Target reversed course on Pride merchandise after public pressure, alienating both sides of the conversation and creating widespread brand confusion.
- Tesla, once beloved for its innovation and accessibility, has seen public trust erode due to leadership behavior and product concerns, not the cars themselves.
These aren’t just marketing stumbles. They’re moments where trust broke because brand promises and actions no longer matched.
Trust Recovery Starts with Pattern Recognition
The first step in rebuilding trust isn’t a new campaign. It’s acknowledging the pattern that led to the breach. Ask yourself:
- Where did the breakdown happen: product, communication, leadership, experience?
- Was the trust issue the result of misalignment, or a deeper inconsistency between what we say and how we operate?
- Has this happened before?
Because here's the hard truth: A well-crafted statement can’t rebuild trust. You rebuild it by correcting the pattern that led there.
A Framework for Rebuilding Trust
Once you’ve taken responsibility internally, here’s how to approach trust repair with intention and credibility:
1. Own the misstep, early and specifically
Vague apologies don’t build trust. Neither do defensive statements. Acknowledge what happened, name the impact, and avoid corporate-speak.
- Bad example: “We hear your concerns and are committed to doing better.”
- Better example: “We made a decision that didn’t reflect the values we say we stand for. Here’s what we’re doing to correct it.”
Specificity = credibility.
2. Communicate transparently, even if you’re not ready to fix it all
People don’t expect perfection. But they do expect clarity. If you don’t have all the answers yet, say that. Then give a timeline for when you will.
Transparency during uncertainty builds more trust than silence during damage control.
3. Reconnect with your brand’s core promise
Missteps often happen when companies make decisions that serve short-term business goals but contradict their brand identity. Now is the time to re-anchor:
- Who are we here to serve?
- What is the emotional promise we’re making to them?
- Are our decisions (internal and external) aligned with that?
This is where brand strategy becomes not just relevant, but essential.
4. Make the next move visible and measurable
Rebuilding trust comes from doing the next right thing, publicly and with accountability. That could look like:
- Reversing a harmful decision
- Reinvesting in your community or team
- Implementing new review or leadership processes
- Publishing goals and updates tied to repair
The key is follow-through. No big declarations without the infrastructure to support them.
5. Stick with it, even after the conversation moves on
One of the biggest mistakes brands make after a crisis? They pivot too quickly.
Repair takes time. Even if public criticism dies down, trust recovery doesn’t happen on a news cycle timeline. Consumers remember. Employees remember. Staying consistent after the spotlight fades is how real trust is rebuilt.
Brands That Rebuilt Trust, and How They Did it
Not every brand bounce-back makes headlines, but when trust is repaired intentionally, the long-term payoff is real. Here are a few standout examples:
Airbnb: From crisis to community-first
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbnb faced mass cancellations, angry hosts, and a rapidly eroding business model. Their initial refund policy alienated hosts, many of whom depended on bookings for income.
But instead of digging in or going silent, CEO Brian Chesky issued a direct, personal letter to hosts apologizing for the misstep. He acknowledged the tension between supporting guests and caring for hosts, promised better support infrastructure moving forward, and rolled out a $250M host relief fund.
What made it work:
- Clear, specific accountability
- Direct communication from leadership
- Fast rollout of support actions
- Ongoing follow-through, not just a one-time gesture
Johnson & Johnson: Long-term trust recovery through transparency
After the 1982 Tylenol poisoning crisis (seven people died from cyanide-laced capsules), J&J moved fast, pulling 31 million bottles from shelves, offering full refunds, and pioneering tamper-evident packaging.
What’s striking is that Tylenol’s market share rebounded within a year, and the brand is still trusted today.
What made it work:
- Rapid, decisive action in the public interest
- Transparent communication with the public and media
- Structural improvements to restore safety and confidence
- Willingness to take short-term losses for long-term trust
LEGO: Rebuilding trust by listening, and letting go of short-term revenue
In 2014, LEGO faced growing backlash for its multi-year co-branding deal with Shell, which included LEGO sets sold at gas stations and Shell branding on toy packaging. Environmental groups, especially Greenpeace, launched a viral campaign accusing LEGO of supporting a company with a poor climate record, one that didn’t align with LEGO’s family-friendly, education-forward brand.
Instead of deflecting or digging in, LEGO responded by not renewing the partnership. They acknowledged the public pressure, took time to evaluate the concerns, and ultimately made a values-based decision, despite the partnership being financially significant.
What followed was a broader shift in how LEGO approached corporate responsibility. The brand invested in sustainable materials, improved transparency in supply chain and operations, and even launched a line of bricks made from recycled plastic.
What made it work:
- Willingness to walk away from profitable, but misaligned, relationships
- Public response that reflected listening, not defensiveness
- Long-term follow-through on environmental and ethical commitments
- Values-first decision-making that restored trust and strengthened brand alignment
Patagonia: Trust through consistency and values-based action
Patagonia hasn’t had a major trust crisis, but it's worth mentioning as a trust maintenance case study. Over the years, they’ve made bold moves — boycotting Facebook ads, donating their entire $10M tax break to environmental groups, and ultimately transferring ownership of the company to a climate-focused trust.
What made it work:
- Consistency between values and operations
- Leadership decisions that reflect brand mission
- Transparency in how and why decisions are made
No need for a “comeback,” because alignment is constant.
What to Avoid at All Costs
There’s a right way and a whole lot of wrong ways to act when things go wrong. Any of these moves will only erode trust further:
- Disappearing the evidence (Duolingo’s mass deletion)
- Performative allyship (DEI statements with no structural change)
- Shifting blame (pointing fingers at consumers, tech, or external forces)
- Outsourcing responsibility to marketing (“Fix it with a campaign”)
If your brand has misstepped, the fix has to start inside. Then, and only then, can it be communicated outward with integrity.
Final Thought: Trust Can Be Rebuilt, With Care
The good news? Consumers are generous when they see effort, honesty, and change.
The bad news? They’ve seen too many brands fake that effort.
So, if your brand is recovering from a trust breach, resist the urge to rush the process. Don’t aim for optics. Aim for alignment. The brands that rebuild trust do so not by restoring their image, but by re-earning their credibility, one action at a time.
